


By the Book (Bookstore/Coffee Shop AU)

by propertyofpoeandbucky



Series: Bucky Barnes Series/Multi-Part Fics [22]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:21:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29817972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/propertyofpoeandbucky/pseuds/propertyofpoeandbucky
Summary: You love to get lost in the worlds created when you read. You go to this bookstore/coffee shop nearly every day. You come for the books, but after a new employee shows up, you find yourself more intrigued by him rather than words on a page.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Reader, James "Bucky" Barnes & You, James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader, James "Bucky" Barnes/You
Series: Bucky Barnes Series/Multi-Part Fics [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2189115
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

Books. What would you do without books? Books provided information, enlightenment, an escape. Books were your safe haven and anywhere that had books was where people could find you. 

In the corner of your favorite bookstore slash cafe, sat you. Your nose buried in your current book of the week. The smell of paper and coffee wafted together in perfect harmony throughout the place. It was the smell of home to you. 

“Y/N, your order’s up!” the barista and shop owner, Steve, called from the counter. 

You slip your bookmark in and set your current read down, hopping off from the windowsill bench and towards the pick-up counter where your usual order waited for you. 

“Thanks, Steve,” you cheerfully exclaimed, waving to your friend and walking carefully back to your windowsill. 

You sipped your drink before setting it onto the table and picking up your book once more. 

* * *

Ever since Bucky got out of the army, he’s had trouble adjusting back to his civilian life. It didn’t help either that his new prosthetic from Stark Industries was causing him trouble. The gleaming titanium metal brought a lot of attention towards him, attention he didn’t like. It was like a magnet for trouble. That coupled with his PTSD, things weren’t looking good for him. And Bucky’s best friend, Steve, knew this. 

More often than not, he offered Bucky help, referring him to the VA where his friend, Sam, worked, as well as offering him a job at his bookstore-coffeeshop. But Bucky was stubborn and he didn’t like getting help from anybody. But after three years, post-Army, he had enough. 

The first step he took was going to the VA to seek counseling. This Sam guy was a piece of work, always calling him out on his shit and despite Bucky hating it, he knew that he needed it. He had to get out of the mindset that everything and everyone is out to get him, that he’s not a victim, that he can rise above this, even if it takes time. Yeah, time, no shit. Took him three years to finally admit he got PTSD, but what can you do? 

“So, how’d job hunting?” Sam asked, leaning back in a metal, folding chair.

Bucky, hunched over with his elbows resting on his knees and his chestnut, shoulder length hair providing a curtain around his face, sighed, “Not good. My, uh, criminal record is an automatic rejection.”

“Criminal record from…”

“Assault. Twice. Both guys, they, uh,” he wiggled his silver appendages, “They were sayin’ shit about my arm and they wouldn’t quit. So to make ‘em stop-,” 

“You had to beat them to a pulp?” Sam snorted, “Stupid, man.”

Bucky looked up, scowling at Bucky, “I asked them to stop, but they wouldn’t. What else was I supposed to do?”

“Bite your tongue and walk the other way, man. Guys like that wanna rile you up, don’t give them the satisfaction. Anyway, how long were you in for?”

He shrugged, “A couple weeks. Nothin’ bad.”

Sam nodded, “Steve owns a shop. Why don’t you work there?”

Bucky scoffed, “And do what? Making pretty lattes all day? That’s an insult to me, Wilson.”

He rolled his eyes and gave a defeated shrug, “I don’t know, Barnes, I mean, look, you keep getting turned down by all these jobs, but Steve? He won’t turn you down. You said it yourself that he offered you a job.”

“I don’t belong at a place like that. Not with the things that I’ve seen and done.”

“Steve’s there.”

“That’s because Steve is Steve.”

Sam sighed as he stood up, stuffing his hands into his pockets, “I’ll I’m saying is that you have an opportunity right there in front of you. Instead of being a picky little bitch, take it. No one said you have to work at the place until the day you die, just until you’re grounded and figure everything out. Yeah?”

He holds out his hand and Bucky hesitantly takes it, rising to his feet, “Fine.”

Sam smirks at him as he shakes Bucky’s hand, “Good, now get out. I have a group session in five minutes.”

Bucky then shuffles out of the room and towards the exit. Eventually, he’s back out on the busy streets of New York, “Guess I’ll go see, Steve.” with his jacket zipped up, hood over his head, and hands in his pockets, Bucky walks down a path to a new chapter in his life. 


	2. Chapter 2

You’re walking up the sidewalk towards the shop. Your weekly book is held against your chest like its your baby, trying to protect it from any harm. You halt in the doorway as it swings open, nearly hitting you in the face. 

The two young women stepping out mutter an apology and go right back to their conversation, “That new barista is so hot. He could open me up like a book!” one women expressed and the other giggled. 

You scrunch your face up in distaste, not liking how their apology was so insincere, but that’s New York for ya! 

You walk in and you’re immediately hit with the smell of home once more. You rush over to your corner, happy that it’s not taken up, and set your things down. You ruffle through your bag for money and you’re on your way to the cashier. 

You notice at an instant that it isn’t Steve manning the counter, but someone else. A guy with shoulder length, chestnut brown hair, stubble decorating his face, and striking blue eyes. Perhaps this was the barista the women were talking about. He was very easy on the eyes. 

When it was your turn, you smile at the man, “You’re new.”

He softly smiles back, “You one of Steve’s regulars?”

You nod, “Yeah, I’m Y/N. You’ll be seeing a lot of me,” you chuckle, “I usually sit back there reading,” you point to your little area. 

“Nice to meet you, Y/N. I’m James, but I prefer if you call me Bucky.” 

You proceed to give Bucky your usual order, reassuring him that it’s alright if he takes his time since he’s still trying to figure the system out. 

“So that’ll be $4.45, please.” you hand him a five dollar bill and with the change, you drop into the tip jar.

“It was nice meeting you, Bucky. I hope Steve and this place treats you well!” you smile at him and then make your way back to your corner to read while you wait for your order.

* * *

For the next couple of hours, you tried to pay as much attention to your book as possible. But no matter how hard you tried, the words weren’t sticking to your head. Your escape to a new world wasn’t going so well. Why? Because of Bucky the new barista. 

Sure, the guy looked a little rough around the edges, and during your couple hours of stay there, you made idle chat with him every once in a while. You found out that he’s best friends with Steve and that he’s a veteran. You also noticed his silver prosthetic that he was trying to hard to hide. You figured that maybe he felt ashamed about it. 

“I, uh,” you look up from your book to see Bucky standing there with a new mug in hand, “I noticed earlier that you were running low and thought you’d like a refill?”

“Oh!” you dog eared your page and set it down, “That’s really nice, Bucky. Thanks. How much-”

“On the house and don’t worry, Steve won’t get mad. I asked if it was okay and he said since you’re his favorite customer, a free cup won’t do any harm,” he sheepishly grins at you and it warms your heart to see this rugged looking man look so shy. 

“Well thank you, again. Are you on break now?”

He nodded, “Yeah. Was just gonna sit somewhere and relax a bit.”

“Would you like to join me?” you pat the windowsill bench.

“No no, it’s okay. I don’t wanna interrupt your reading.”

You shrugged, “You won’t. I, uh, can’t really focus on reading right now. Got a lot on my mind.”

Bucky slowly lowers himself onto the bench beside you, his hands resting in his lap, “I know how that feels. Sometimes I got so much going on in here,” he points to his temple, “that I feel like my head will explode.”

“Stuff in general or stuff concerning when you were in the army?” Bucky looks at you with furrowed brows and you immediately shake your head, “Wait, don’t-I-crap. You don’t have to tell me anything. You don’t even know me and I don’t know you and sometimes I speak before I think and it gets me in trouble way too much and you seem like such a nice guy and I don’t want you to hate me because I couldn’t keep my damn mouth shut and now I’m rambling and you probably think-”

Bucky’s shoulders start to shake as he laughs, causing you to stop mid-ramble. Your eyes soften and there’s a faint smile on your lips. He looks at you and bites his lip to maintain himself, “You’re-You’re cute when you ramble.”

You duck your head, shying away from the compliment,”Thanks, but I mean it, you don’t have to answer my question or tell me anything personal even. We can talk about…books! Do you read?”

“Haven’t in a while. I think the last book I read was when I was deployed. A Marine I ran into, Russo, let me borrow it. I honestly don’t know if I ever finished it.”

“What was the book called?”

“The Picture of Dorian Gray.”

“One of my favorites,” you can’t help but mumble. 

“Yeah?” Bucky asks as his eyes capture your lit up ones.

“The idea that obsession with youth, wealth, and beautiful things will consume us? It’s fascinating. I really like how Oscar Wilde paints a picture with his words about aestheticism, how we’re not anything valuable unless we’re beautiful or surround ourselves with beautiful things. It’s sad really.”

“How so?”

“Those ideals still stick with us today. Sure we don’t have chandeliers and drink from golden chalices, but if you don’t have the new iPhone or you don’t stick with the latest clothing trends, then you’re nothing.” you shake your head and laugh to yourself, “Sorry, I, uh, I’ve read that book way too many times and it’s just-”

“Don’t apologize for sharing your passions.” he looks at you with this soft yet intense look, one that you’re intimidated by, but you can’t seem to look away. It isn’t until Steve calls for him behind the counter that his entrancing gaze breaks, “Sorry, I, uh, gotta get back to work.”

“Yeah. Um, enjoy the rest of your shift.”

“Yeah. Thanks. Enjoy your book.” 

You watch as Bucky heads back to the counter, grabbing his apron off the hook and putting it back on. He glances your way one last time, a grin on his face as he gets back to work. 


	3. Chapter 3

“I met someone,” Bucky said excitedly. 

Sam smirked, “Yeah? They cute?”

“She’s beautiful! And funny and adorable and smart-”

“What’s her name?”

“Y/N.”

Sam’s brows rose in recognition, “Y/N? As in Y/N who’s always at Steve’s shop, Y/N?”

Bucky nodded, “Yeah, you know her?”

“Yup. Whenever Steve is busy doing something in the shop, she helps me find books. We’ve chatted a couple of times. She’s nice.” Sam’s smirk was back as he rested his elbows on his knees and leaned in, “So you like her?”

“Well, yeah. These past few weeks I’ve been working at the shop and she’s there all the time, so we talk in between the rushes, I talk to her on my break. Stuff like that.”

“You tell her about,” he raises his left hand and wiggles his fingers, insinuating about Bucky’s prosthetic.

Bucky chuckles, “Yeah and he’s not bothered by it, at all. She said it’s one of the best technological advancements she’s ever seen and that she’s happy I’m someone who’s benefited from it.”

“So when are you gonna see her again?”

“I don’t know. I don’t work until two days from now, which she knows…should I still show up?”

“Hell yeah, man! Go over there and just chat with her. Show her you’re interested!”

Bucky groans and runs his hands through his hair, “But what if she’s not interested in me, Sam? I mean, why should she be? I’m mentally and physically disabled. I’m fifty shades of fucked up-”

“Hey, just ‘cause you got issues, doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to be happy or deserve to be with someone. As for her not being interested, I doubt that. From the sounds of it, she seems like she’s enjoying your company. But if it does turn out that she’s not into you, that’s fine. You made a new friend and that’s a big plus considering everything.”

Bucky stared into his lap, pondering and processing Sam’s words. It makes sense. Sure, it’s a little bit scary, but hey, he fought in Afghanistan! Nothing is scarier than that right?

* * *

You know that Bucky isn’t working today, yet a part of you still expects him to be at the counter taking orders. 

For the past couple of weeks, you and Bucky started to know each other more. He went over a little bit about his military background, his incident, him seeking help at the VA. You felt honored to be the one that gets to learn all these things, despite only knowing him for a short time. 

On your part of sharing, you told him about work, how you’re a stay at home editor and that coming to the shop helps you destress. Despite you staying up late working, you always come to the shop in the mornings. 

You hear the bell above the shop ring, and you don’t bother to look up, knowing that it’s just another cust-

“Hey, Buck!” you hear Steve greet his friend and your head shoots up.

“Hey, man.”

“You’re not working today,” Steve states confusedly.

“I know, I, uh,” he darts his eyes in your direction and Steve smiles.

“Aaaahhh. Got it. I’ll bring over some food and drinks for you guys.”

Bucky can’t help but roll his eyes. Steve always had a mother hen side to him, “Steve, that’s not necess-”

“On the house, Buck. You can’t say no to free stuff.”

“Ugh. Fine,” he grumbles and then turns your way. 

You immediately pull your book up higher to cover your face, hopefully making it look like you just weren’t staring at him. 

You feel the windowsill bench cushion dip and a presence before you. With a clear of the throat, you hear a, “Hi.”

You peer over your book, biting your lip to keep you from nervously giggling, “Hi,” you mumble out and you sit up a bit more, “Um, I thought you weren’t working today.”

“I’m not. I-I came by to-to see you.”

“Oh.”

“Is that alright?”

You nodded, bookmarking your page and setting your book down, “Yeah. I just-I was wondering why you came here? To see me?”

Bucky stuffed his hands in his hoodie pockets, shyly staring down at his lap. You’ve noticed that he does that often, “I don’t know. I like being around you and talking to you. You’re sweet. And..I think I…like you.”

“I like you too, Bucky.” 

He looks up with bright eyes, “Really? Wait, as in like me as a friend or like-like me.”

You giggled, “What are we, ten? Yes, Bucky, I like-like you.”

His entire body relaxes, but his heart is still pounding hard, but not in the nervous kind of way. But more in the happy “I think I might explode” kind of way, “Good. Great! Um-”

“Here you guys go! Your respective drink orders plus some pastries. On the house! Enjoy you kids!” Steve said way too enthusiastically and gave a wink to Bucky. 

You both burst into a fit of giggles, “Sorry about him. He’s just happy about all the progress I’ve made since I got out.”

“I don’t mind. Steve is great and a big dork.”

“Ugh, you should see him when we get new shipments of books in. He acts like a kid in a candy store.”

“I think that’s adorable.”

“No, Y/N, you’re adorable.” he chuckles when he sees you shy away at his compliment, “Do you wanna go on a date some time?”

You nod excitedly at him, “I’d love to.”

“Great! Oh, uh,” he pulls out his phone and you do the same, you both exchange numbers, and then put your phones away. The rest of the time there, you spend talking to each other. 

At one point, you and Bucky decide to stroll through the book portion of the shop, your fingers grazing along the spines of different stories and information. There were literally so many different worlds at your fingertips. 

When you look up, you see that Bucky is staring at you, smiling, through the other side of the bookshelf.

And that’s when you felt like your heart was going to beat out of your chest. Bucky, this hardworking, broken man had been damaged by life and its fault. And yet, you found him to be nothing but strong and beautiful. 

Then there’s you. The sweet and adorable bookworm that greeted Bucky on his first day at the shop. Every day since, you’ve given him something to look forward to. You’ve given him hope and life and he’s only known you for a short time, but that’s okay. The more he talks to you, the more he begins to fall for you, for your outrageous knowledge about books, for your light humor, and melodious laugh. He wants to know anything and everything about you. 

Life doesn’t have a manual. There’s nothing you can truly do by the book. Bucky’s had some traumatizing life events and he’s learning to deal with it. He just hopes that you’ll be there with him for the rest of the ride. 


End file.
